Ibori sues UK before EU human rights court

Former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, has directed his lawyers to sue the United Kingdom (UK) before the Court of Appeal at the European Court of Human Rights.

Ibori, who is contesting his conviction by a UK court on Wednesday, faulted the judgement of the Appeal Court, which he accused of denying him justice.

According to him, at 11 am on Wednesday, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, was handed down, but lamented that again the British Courts had unjustifiably denied him justice.

Ibori said that the injustice contrived against him continued at the Court of Appeal, adding that “by this denial, I have been prevented from challenging my conviction even though the Crown Prosecution accepted the fact that there was a proven case of police corruption.”

In a press statement issued by his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, the former governor said: “The Court of Appeal declined my application for leave to appeal my conviction based on Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Police disclosure failures compounded by police corruption unearthed way before I even arrived in the UK. The allegation of Police corruption, at least of Mr. John Macdonald, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in my case, started on or about September 10, 2007 while I was still in Nigeria. This issue of police corruption was raised by a different agency of the UK government working on an entirely different case at the time.

“This material fact should have been disclosed to my legal team on my arrival in the UK but it was not because the Crown Prosecution Service and the London Metropolitan Police knew the devastating and fatal impact that would have had on the case against me. The UK authorities chose deliberately to cover it up even though my legal team asked that all-important question in open court.

“This continued cover-up, which is inimical to justice delivery, has been displayed again today (yesterday) by the Court of Appeal when it denied me the opportunity to appeal my conviction at the Appeal Court and possibly the Supreme Court of England and Wales. This is international conspiracy carried too far to the detriment of the integrity of the British judicial system.

”Numerous people have asked me to discontinue the appeal,” he said, adding that “but what do they care. It’s a matter that has to do with a bunch of ‘corrupt’ Nigerians. They can throw judicial decency to the dogs.

“I say to the members of the public who have shown personal concern for my predicament that I will strive with every breath of energy in me to pursue the cause of justice not only for my sake but because it is the right thing to do to make the world a better place and to defend the rights of the down-trodden.

“So, I have put my legal team on notice to explore every legal avenue to expose this massive cover-up – including applying to the European Court of Human Rights to ensure that this assault on my fundamental rights does not stand,” he said.